A cynic might suggest that this
was yet another example of the biased Tory press ignoring its own
polls in its unfair coverage of Labour. A realist might add that
the poll was an outlier — similar polls
taken before and after the April 12 YouGov sample show the
Conservatives more consistently ahead of Labour, by about four
points.

But repeatedly, those same
polls also show Labour sometimes pulling neck-and-neck with
the Conservatives, or even ahead. On seven separate occasions
this year, Labour has polled within 2 points of the
Conservatives, twice polled ahead, and once polled
dead-even.

This chart over time shows
Corbyn's Labour slowly making ground against the Tories:

This is astonishing, given the
media narrative, which runs like this: Corbyn is a socialist who
hasn't changed his ideas since the 1980s. His supporters are
reconstituted activists from the once-banned Militant tendency.
There is no way British voters — particularly those in the
wealthier South — are going to vote for him.

The Conservatives ought to be
killing Labour right now. But they are not.

The stark contrast between the
fortunes of the Cameron family (Eton, Oxford, offshore funds,
massive inheritances) and everyone else (minimum wage, not
keeping your tips, cuts to overtime) say something ugly about
life in Britain today.

It's barely even about
politics. It's about basic fairness. It just doesn't seem right
that the Camerons can arrange their finances to minimise their
tax by funnelling money through Panama, while minimum wage
workers are taxed at source, pay the full whack, and can't keep
their tips.

This is how inequality works.
Tackling inequality isn't literally about making everyone equal.
It's about whether the rules treat everyone the same way
regardless of their wealth.

So, next time you're having one
of those conversations in the pub when a friend tells you the
Labour party has got no chance in the next election, remind them
that, day after day, millions of low-wage workers see stuff like
the Panama Papers in the press. Inequality is real, and it
damages our society by making the system look rigged.